Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, and Program in Mathematics and Science Education, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Program in Mathematics and Science Education, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92120.
CBE Life Sci Educ. 2022 Sep;21(3):ar55. doi: 10.1187/cbe.21-10-0295.
Undergraduate education represents an important transitional stage in which students make career decisions, and undergraduate research experiences (UREs) play a critical role in training the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics researchers. Extensive studies have identified the different ways in which researchers and graduate students understand their profession, but little work has focused on undergraduate students. To contribute to this gap in literature, this study examines how undergraduate students conceptualize successful researchers. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with transfer students at a research-intensive university, in which participants articulated how they perceive a successful researcher and how their conception had changed based on their undergraduate experiences. Using phenomenography as the research approach, three conceptions of successful researchers were identified based on variations within the following aspects: process of research, interactions with other researchers, and scope of contribution. Retrospective conceptions were more simplistic, with little appreciation for the complex methodological processes and collaborations needed to meaningfully contribute to the research community. After UREs, participants reported conceptions with more nuanced understanding that successful researchers demonstrate proactive engagement, collaboration, and contribution. These findings can be applied to facilitate meaningful research experiences and target undergraduates' professional development as they are enculturated into the research community.
本科教育是学生做出职业决策的重要过渡阶段，本科研究经历（URE）在培养下一代科学、技术、工程和数学研究人员方面起着至关重要的作用。大量研究已经确定了研究人员和研究生理解他们职业的不同方式，但很少有工作关注本科生。为了弥补这一文献空白，本研究探讨了本科生如何概念化成功的研究人员。研究数据是通过在一所研究型大学对转学生进行半结构化访谈收集的，参与者阐述了他们如何看待成功的研究人员，以及他们的观念如何根据本科经历而改变。本研究采用现象学作为研究方法，根据研究过程、与其他研究人员的互动以及贡献范围这三个方面的变化，确定了成功研究人员的三个概念。回顾性概念更为简单，几乎没有意识到为有意义地为研究社区做出贡献所需的复杂方法过程和合作。在 URE 之后，参与者报告了更细致入微的概念理解，即成功的研究人员表现出积极主动的参与、合作和贡献。这些发现可以应用于促进有意义的研究经历，并针对本科生的专业发展，因为他们正在融入研究社区。
